I don't think it's a secret but the "Official" Announcement from KristieJ and Katiebabs

Bear with us - this will be a long one! Katie's been wanting to do this for a while now - and as a believer in waiting 'til later because it makes the waiting seem lesser (if you can figure out what I just said - it means you can follow my brain waves and that's a scary thing) But I finally decided the time is right - now for our big announcement. You see - Katie and I will be going to RWA in San Francisco this summer. Yep - we are making the 'official' announcement. As anyone who has been coming for a while now may remember, I went to the one in Dallas last year and it was BAR NONE the best vacation I've ever had. I thought I'd go to the next one, then thought not, then thought I might go to the RT convention this year and then thought maybe not. I was all a-dither. Then I asked Katie to be my partner and since we've clicked right off from the start - even though I'm old enough to be her very young aunt (heh heh) I really wanted to get a chance to meet her in person. And then when Sula joined us in our Great North and South Crusade, it became a given that I wanted to meet her too after the many hours we spent drooling and planning and laughing. I was hoping it might be at the RT convention in Pittsburg, but that didn't really work out for either of them. Then Kate mentioned she was seriously thinking of going to the RWA in San Francisco and that was that. Matter settled. I was going and told Katie and she said she would too. I got in touch with one of my fantastic Dallas roomies who I had just recently found out was going again, Wendy, our Super Librarian. She was planning on rooming with Rosie, who whenever I see her think, boy do we ever look alike - at least in her pictures. I asked Wendy if she had a room yet and she said she did but they were filling up fast. Now I'm not sure if she offered, or I was bold and asked, but anyway, the four of us will be roomies. I'm so looking forward to rooming with Rosie - and I KNOW Wendy and I get along great. So, I have a room, I booked a flight and I can HARDLY wait! I'm not sure what I'm most excited about - one minute it's one thing, another minute it's another. I am so incredibly excited that I'm going to be meeting Katie with whom I chat up a storm sometimes - even though I did have a dream the other night that when we finally met - she didn't like me. Ha! As if, I told myself when I woke up. I am so looking forward to seeing Wendy again. I want to see if Rosie and I look as much alike in person as I think we do in pictures. I will be seeing Jane from DA again! And authors - I will be meeting authors again. I'm just a bundle of excitement I tell you. If I was a teenage girl I'd be squealing for the three weeks! And as if that isn't exciting enough, Sula will be in San Francisco around the same time for a business conference and we plan on meeting her and spending time with her too! The powers behind The Crusade - together - in person *shiver* And the conferences!! I'm looking forward to attending more of them this year. I know there is a writer in me somewhere just bursting to get out. I can feel her getting closer. When I was young, I used to write long rambling letters to friends (not unlike the long ramblings I do on occasion - and right now as a matter of fact here) and tell them not to throw the letters out because some day I would be a famous writer and they could then blackmail me. Katie and I are planning on getting there a couple of days early and do some sight seeing along with some others who will be there. I didn't really get a chance to see any of Dallas when I went and I don't really want to go back to work after and have people come up to me and ask what it was like and have to tell them I don't really know - I didn't get out :)
I am giddy with excitement over the whole thing - and it's barely July!! Again, I will be unbearable when the time rolls around! And now I'll step aside and let Katie have a say on her thoughts.

Katie:

Who would have thought I would be in this position to go to the 2008 Romance Writers Association Conference in San Francisco, CA? A year ago I would never have imagined as I read all the posts from various bloggers and authors who went to RWA 2007 that in a few weeks I will be hopping on a plane and hobnobbing with authors, press, bloggers and reviewers? It is still so very surreal to me and as I write this, the butterflies are fluttering around non-stop in my stomach.

I would say I am very much the same type of person on-line as I am in person. Perhaps, Christine will agree since she has met my loopy self many times before. *G* There is a part of me who may seem so confident and self-assured to most who I email and chat with, but to be honest, I am very much the type who likes to observe and keep quiet. I am so very afraid to say the wrong thing or do something that would make me a fool in someone else's eyes. Because of this, I almost didn't want to go to RWA. Why would thousand of people even care that I was there? As my imagination runs wild, I see myself hiding behind a plant, poking out my head at everything that is going on around me, or standing there is a crowd, dazed and confused with no one to turn to or be with.

All this may seem silly and I realize it is because two things happened to me this past week that changed my mind. I had the honor and the pleasure of having lunch with Sarah from the website, Smart Bitches, Trashy Books. A thousand thoughts went through my head. Would I sound stupid? Would I talk too much? Why would a person like myself be interesting to the woman who co-runs one of the most popular and successful reviews and commentary websites? Well, Sarah has a way of putting a person at ease and she welcomed me with a smile and we had a wonderful lunch full of talk about books and advice she gave me about what to expect when I go to RWA. She even let me caress her Kindle. :D

Another situation was when I was at the gym. As I began to run on the treadmill, a woman who was on the treadmill next to me, began to talk with me. She had seen me around the gym and decided to chat for a few minutes. I realized that there should be no reason for this fear of not belonging or feeling left out. As Kristie told me before, authors, even the big names superstar ones put one pant leg on at a time, just like us. And you know what, it is true.

So I am announcing here and now I am so very much excited to be one of the many to be able to go to RWA. Other than SB Sarah and blogger Little Alys, I haven't met anyone face to face. I have shared wonderful emails with Jane from Dear Author and Wendy the Super Librarian. The same goes for my fellow bloggers who will be coming to San Francisco, some to visit for a few days like Tracy and Sula, while others are coming to the conference like myself such as LisaBea, Ciaralira, Rosie, and Amy. (Please forgive me if I left out anybody, give me a holler!)

I hope to report to the best of my ability everything I will experience to those who cannot be in San Francisco. My eyes and ears will be your own. And I hope I don't embarrass myself with authors I want to meet and those I am lucky enough to have talked with over the internet. And of course my biggest thrill is meeting Kristie(J). She is the reason I am coming, without her, I would be nothing.

So without further ado, WATCH OUT SAN FRAN AND RWA BECAUSE HERE COME KRISTIE AND KATIE!!